August 03, 2017

MOSCOW - Two Russian MiG-31 fighter jets and an An-26 military transport plane, on a training flight over the Baltic Sea neutral waters, were “followed” by a NATO fighter jet, Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
“While the Russian planes were flying over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s F-18 fighter jet approached the Russian aircraft and followed them at a safe distance for about one minute. Later, it changed its course and flew away towards the airspace of the Baltic state,” the ministry said.
NATO said earlier that its fighter jets of the Baltic air-policing mission had intercepted three Russian planes over the Baltic Sea.
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated that the flight of the Russian aircraft was performed in strict compliance with the international rules of the airspace use and air border of other countries were not violated.
The number of air incidents involving Russian planes and NATO ones has increased over the past years since the U.S.-led alliance ratcheted up its military presence on Russia’s western border in 2014. (Xinhua)